Megan Merrick Explains How to Nurture and Scale an Future-Ready CX Team

Scaling an organization at any capacity requires adaptability and resilience. But sometimes, and to no fault of the business, leaders walk into disorganization incarnate: a lack of direction, underperformance, and insufficient reliance on data. Agents lose confidence and disengage; customers become distant. The organization suffers, and mitigation costs skyrocket.

Megan Merrick, Director of Collector Experiences at Fanatics, began her CX journey as an agent, nurtured her company's brand reputation team, and later transitioned into AI strategy. With her accumulated experience in building an entire CX team from the ground up, improving their numbers, and prioritizing data-backed leadership, she noted that her achievements thus far have been "...the most rewarding things she has fulfilled in her career."

Despite uncertainty and risk, Merrick laid down the groundwork for herself and her team. The temptation to integrate new tools is strong—but during our webinar, she shared three compelling thoughts to help execute innovation without compromising human-centeredness.

1. Don't be afraid to step into the mess.

When Merrick first accepted one of her roles, she was notified in advance that she'd inherit a team in need of better structure. Instead of prioritizing immediate repair, she observed whether they had the following infrastructure:

• A CX dashboard
• Focused performance metrics
• A training program for agents
• Quality assurance
  

She didn't hesitate despite the various uncertainties—while wanting to get involved, she chose to take a more strategic approach and identify gaps before trying to fix them without any guidance. She explained, "All of these things set a baseline for success. You have to show your team what good looks like for them to become good, let alone great." Instead of feeling daunted by any lack, Merrick listened, learned, and used her observations to lay out a plan then.

2. Make AI your starting point.

At a previous CCWomen panel in CCW Las Vegas, one speaker asked, "Where does the human [touch] end and AI begin?" It's a question we continue to challenge as AI grows alongside us. Whereas initial fears involved the tool replacing most jobs, public sentiment has shifted significantly, with people now asking how and if they should use it.

Merrick argued that it should be a starting point:

"Buying a tool isn't the same as implementing an AI strategy. Some companies are doing this well, and others [with exceptional marketing] are simply selling 'AI services.' But just because you purchased the tool doesn't mean you get promised results. You hear of CX teams who've merely touched it before, then are expected to build an entirely new AI plan. They end up failing because just because you've used [a tool] doesn't mean you know how to build it from scratch."

3. Identify the problem before investing in any tech solution.

Companies are in a race for the finish line but are asking the wrong questions: rather than wondering how to integrate AI into existing systems, they should first consider the issue that AI can address. Is the problem truly in need of a technological fix, or can a person tend to it? Which steps of the process need AI intervention—if at all—and which parts require a human?

Merrick explained:

"If an executive wants to implement AI solely because a competitor just announced their new launch, that's more of a PR strategy than a quality one. Just because your competitors do it doesn't mean you should; you can still have excellent customer experience, and through the human touch."

The speed of adoption doesn't equal competitive advantage," concluded Merrick. "People look at competitors and say, 'Well, they launched it. We need to do the same tomorrow to beat them.' But you actually have to have a quality foundation for your strategy to be successful."

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